Thursday, March 31, 2011

This is a recipe from a cookbook I use almost like a bible, Pure and Simple by Vidhu Mittal. I simply love this book! Definitely add this to your cookbook collection. She has interesting and simple vegetarian dishes even for the novice cook. All the steps are clearly listed and complicated steps are explained in lovely pictures.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

So we learned how to make great chicken biryani in my previous post. Now we turn to vegetable biryani. I love this recipe. Being vegetarian, I'm glad that people like the chicken biryani, but really, I'd rather make up my own mind by tasting. And that's why I love the vegetarian version - and it's really delicious.

Heat the oil and ghee in a pan. Add the cloves, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Saute for a minute or two. Add the sliced onion and green chillies and continue to saute for a minute. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of the paste disappears. Add the mint leaves and saute for a minute.

Add the tomatoes to the mixture and continue to saute. Add the vegetables, biryani masala, chilli powder and fry for five to ten minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups of water and let it come to a boil. Add the salt and mix. Add the basmati rice and stir to combine. Close the pan and allow to cook until rice is tender. Keep checking to make sure there is enough water. The rice should be just tender and not mushy.

When done, mix together to combine the rice, the spices and the vegetables in the pan. Serve hot with yogurt.

*Biryani Masala: This is available in most Indian stores. But you could also make it at home. The spice powder is a mixture of red chilli powder, coriander powder, cloves, cinnamon, aniseed, cardamom, ginger, garlic, onion, star anise and salt. Roast these ingredients on a dry pan and then grind to a smooth powder.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Biryani is rice cooked with spices and either chicken or mutton or vegetables. For a long time I've been trying to find a perfect biryani recipe. Naturally, home cooked biryanis don't taste as good as the ones in restaurants, but this one comes pretty darn close!

Heat the oil and ghee in a pan. Add the cloves, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Saute for a minute or two. Add the sliced onion and green chillies and continue to saute for a minute. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of the paste disappears. Add the mint leaves and saute for a minute.

Add the tomatoes to the mixture and continue to saute. Add the chicken, biryani masala, chilli powder and fry for five to ten minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of water and let it come to a boil. Add the salt and mix. Add the basmati rice and stir to combine. Close the pan and allow to cook until rice is tender. Keep checking to make sure there is enough water. The rice should be just tender and not mushy.

When done, mix together to combine the rice, the spices and the chicken in the pan. Serve hot with yogurt. As I'm typing this, my husband is eating the biryani saying "its absolutely amazing".

*Biryani Masala: This is available in most Indian stores. But you could also make it at home. The spice powder is a mixture of red chilli powder, coriander powder, cloves, cinnamon, aniseed, cardamom, ginger, garlic, onion, star anise and salt. Roast these ingredients on a dry pan and then grind to a smooth powder.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Vathal kozhambu is a south Indian curry of vegetables simmered in a tamarind based broth with a variety of spices. It is usually served with cooked rice. Spicy and tangy and delicious! Here, I've made the basic curry without vegetables, but feel free to add your choice of cooked vegetables. The common vegetables used are okra, eggplant and onions.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Kuzhambu is a spicy curry, originating from south India, made with a combination of vegetables or fish/ chicken. Usually they do not have lentils, but this one does and is milder than most other kozhambus. When the kozhambu is made with yogurt, its called More (Buttermilk) Kozhambu and is a wonderful addition to rice on a hot day.

Friday, March 11, 2011

When I wanted a quick rasam and didn't have time to grind my own spice powders and stew over the tamarind, I would use this easy recipe. The rasam still tastes great, but you spent half the time making it!

Heat about 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan, add the cumin, asoefetida and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are mushy. Add the rasam powder and enough water to cook the tomatoes (about 2 cups). Add the cooked dal.

For the seasoning, heat some oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and garlic clove. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the seasoning to the rasam. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Dosas are very popular breakfast/ lunch/ anytime foods in southern India. Over the years, just as with any other popular food, the dosa has been changed to use several other ingredients including vegetables and different types of grains such as oats or ragi. Here, I've made a peas dosa. This is really easy since it doesn't require fermentation. Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

This is another in a series of recipes from my mother in law. As I said earlier she is an amazing cook, and can whip up dishes in a matter of minutes. I'm sure, though, that if I asked her to reproduce this exact recipe, she won't be able to, because she really doesn't cook by numbers. I loved this curry the day she made it for us and it really tastes great with rotis.